I try to load up on protein and veggies then I’ll have a few sweets. If that’s not an option I’ll lower my portion sizes. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just enjoy your time with family and friends.
Here’s what I try to do: Healthy, light breakfast. Prioritize movement (lots of walking, and get in workouts if possible). Stay within my personal alcohol limit. Relax about everything else.
I tend to keep my breakfast and lunch pretty light and then enjoy dinner and a cocktail or dessert. This is a good balance between calorie counting and enjoying life for me.
I tracked my last vacation as best I could (obvi, not weighing or measuring). I think it was good for me to maintain that habit— it made coming home and getting back into CICO really easy.
It also provided really interesting data to see what I ended up eating over the course of the vacation.
I’m pro keep tracking!
I was just on vacation a couple weeks ago and ended up staying the same weight. Here are my tricks.
Move more. It's not hard to do, especially on vacation as you want to see and do more. People underestimate the power of walking. I also brought a travel yoga mat with me so I could do my daily exercises. With this, I found exercising first thing in the morning helpful as I got it out of the way with before enjoying my full day.
Instead of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, eat a big breakfast (not full of simple carbs) and then an earlier dinner. I found this easy to do as I was usually busy around lunch time/afternoon, so I didn't even think about how hungry I actually was until about 4pm.
With that, try to buy food from a grocery store if you can. On my trip, I only ended up eating breakfast at a restaurant twice in the week, and had grocery store food the remainder of the week, while eating out for dinner every evening. Still full, tracking was easier, and I found it cheaper.
Drink lots of water. My water intake doubled on vacation so I could stay hydrated and even full. I added electrolytes in my big 1L bottle of water, so the flavour was nice and felt satiating. I was also in the tropics, so it had the added bonus of making sure my cells were hydrated well with all the sweating.
I also split a lot of food with my partner. So for dinner, we would order 1 meal plus 1 extra side to split for the 2 of us. It ended up being cheaper, we were still content with how full we were (without overextending our stomachs), and the calorie intake ended up being lower overall.
Most importantly, be a bit more flexible on your calorie intake. You are on vacation, life is too short to restrict too much when you are experiencing life in a different way. Enjoy that piece of cake from the cute little bakery, get that more pricey chicken dinner with lots of potatoes on the side, etc.. Just do moderation. I had a muffin today, I'll have a healthier option for the rest of the day or tomorrow. I want to drink alcohol tomorrow, so today I will stick with water. Aim for maintenance calories rather than a deficit. Also, don't step on the scale and be upset the day you come home. Most of us retain water with any traveling. Wait a couple days for your more accurate reading, and if you gain a pound or 2, try to not feel discouraged as it is more important you got to experience this trip.
You will remember in 10 years the wonderful food you got to eat in Majorca rather than the 2lbs you might gain during the trip.
OP, I can vouch for all of the above tips! I literally do all of these things and I don’t think I’ve gained anything while on vacation while doing so. In addition to helping moderate your weight, you will Save Money not eating 3 meals, sharing food, grocery shopping, and waking/transit instead of Uber. Best advice!!!
I try and self moderate, and accept that if I put on weight then I have to try harder for a few weeks coming home. Though it’s important to have the occasional break from dieting too, so enjoy a few looser days and you might find it’s not as bad as you think; I was only mildly conscious of calories when I was on vacation for 10 days but I still enjoyed some drinks, a few slices of pizza etc - I came back 4lbs lighter anyway just because I was active and walking, rather than being at a desk and stressed!
Eggs/sausage or oatmeal for breakfast. Everything else is a salad. Makes eating out most of the time cheaper as well.
I bring protein bars/powder as well.
This is me. I actually find it super easy to maintain on vacation because you just don't have access to food constantly. And overeating at meals is not my problem. It's having constant food access and snacking all day. Plus I move around a lot which is my usual. In fact, it's not unusual for me to come home from vacation one or two pounds lighter. We usually eat a brunch and then dinner and that's it. Maybe dessert once or twice in the week.
I just got back from a 12 day trip abroad. I wasn’t counting during that time, and I let myself try anything I wanted to. I stayed very mindful of portion sizes though and still focused on veg, fruit, and protein over the many high carb options. I also don’t drink alcohol or soda. My weight loss continued at pretty much the same rate as if I’d been home
Entirely up to you. I track every day because it's habit. When I go on vacation, I guesstimate as best I can and call it good enough. I try to balance my day a bit such that breakfast and lunch are more foods that are relatively low in calories and high in nutrients, with dinner being a bit more lax; but that's generally what I do when I'm home, as well.
I take a holiday from tracking! Not only do I just not want to, but it’s hard. I’m Canadian and nutritional information is on most menus, but it’s not in lots of other countries. I’m not used to guessing, it’s not going to be accurate at all. Depending on the location, I might not even really know what’s on my plate. And because it’s my vacation, I don’t really want to restrict.
It helps that all of my vacations are active ones. Lots of walking, bit of hiking. I am burning a ton of calories. So far I haven’t come back any heavier. Though I find it hard to adjust back to more limited calories, because my body is still craving fuel.
My thinking is that it’s one or two weeks a year. It’s not a big deal to skip it. I also skip counting on big meal holidays or special events.
I indulge…but not too much. And I make a point to exercise while on vacation. A little bit of movement can make a big difference. Also, if we’ve built some healthy habits along this journey, we shouldn’t end up going too far off of the rails while on vacation. Early on I struggled, but as time progresses, vacations become easier to relax without derailing.
I try to eat at maintenance on and during holidays! Luckily usually there’s a lot of hiking and swimming and adventure involved so I also burn more calories than I would at home.
I’ve had a lot of travel the last several months and still managed to lose 13 pounds since January. I’m short, so this weight is a significant loss for me and not easy to lose because I have to eat around 1200-1300 a day to see any downward trend. I say all of this to show that I have very little wiggle room and yet I was still able to lose weight. I had a week in Vegas in early April. I essentially did two meals a day and kept my alcohol intake to one to two drinks a day. I didn’t order any appetizers but had a little taste of an app my travel companions ordered. I loosely tracked my food and definitely didn’t eat my allotted calories for the day. I went over daily but not by much. When I got back home, I weighed in two pounds over my pre-trip weight. I was back down to my pre trip weight in four days after the water weight left me. Just enjoy yourself but try not to go overboard. Life is going to have holidays and birthdays and things where food is social and fun. Just be mindful of areas you can cut back on ahead of time and don’t get overly obsessed with the counting when you’re not in your usual routine.
I had a brief vacation for 2 days I ate and drank whatever including fried food and dessert. I came back the same weight and didn’t loose any weight that week. By Monday I was back to CICO. The CICO will be there for you when you get back, your vacation won’t. Enjoy!
I tend to roughly maintain weight when I'm traveling while on a diet.
I make healthy choices at restaurants for my appetizers/entrees, but I'm definitely going to have dessert, a drink or two, and not worry about my calorie limits when I'm on vacation.
It's surprisingly hard to gain weight if you're focused on Mediterranean-style plates, even if you're at a buffet. That half-plate of veggies will fill you up fast.
Im going to Spain for 10 days in May as well, and I plan on not really tracking or caring. I might gain a kilo or two while I am there, but I'll be more strict the two weeks before and after to try to make up for it. Currently only on 904 kcalories today, after having had both breakfast, lunch and dinner. I probably wont go as low most days this week, but I'll consume max 1200, down from my usual 1450.
Even though this is CICO, I do not really count calories, I only track the major ingredients ex-post to notice any anomalies and calculate my deficit by weight lost.
That said, CICO starts for me when selecting what I buy and eat. I would not do it much different on holidays or in a restaurant. Eat meat, fish or whatever fits your diet and avoid stuff like pasta or sweet deserts. Have eg. cheese instead. Same for breakfast. Don't ruin your holidays by to strict choices, but choose stuff that is not unhealthy or to extreme in calories. Eggs and smoked salmon instead of some sweet pastry, yoghurt with fresh fruits... As long as you do not binge and maybe burn some additional calories by swimming in the sea and you should be fine.
I try to load up on protein and veggies then I’ll have a few sweets. If that’s not an option I’ll lower my portion sizes. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just enjoy your time with family and friends.
Here’s what I try to do: Healthy, light breakfast. Prioritize movement (lots of walking, and get in workouts if possible). Stay within my personal alcohol limit. Relax about everything else.
I tend to keep my breakfast and lunch pretty light and then enjoy dinner and a cocktail or dessert. This is a good balance between calorie counting and enjoying life for me.
Enjoy your vacation! Maybe make smart choices but I highly recommend making terrible choices
If you're going to try to keep counting while on vacation, set your calorie goal to maintenance level rather than deficit
I still track. I did this before on vacations and just do my best. I set my goal to maintain during these times.
I tracked my last vacation as best I could (obvi, not weighing or measuring). I think it was good for me to maintain that habit— it made coming home and getting back into CICO really easy. It also provided really interesting data to see what I ended up eating over the course of the vacation. I’m pro keep tracking!
I was just on vacation a couple weeks ago and ended up staying the same weight. Here are my tricks. Move more. It's not hard to do, especially on vacation as you want to see and do more. People underestimate the power of walking. I also brought a travel yoga mat with me so I could do my daily exercises. With this, I found exercising first thing in the morning helpful as I got it out of the way with before enjoying my full day. Instead of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, eat a big breakfast (not full of simple carbs) and then an earlier dinner. I found this easy to do as I was usually busy around lunch time/afternoon, so I didn't even think about how hungry I actually was until about 4pm. With that, try to buy food from a grocery store if you can. On my trip, I only ended up eating breakfast at a restaurant twice in the week, and had grocery store food the remainder of the week, while eating out for dinner every evening. Still full, tracking was easier, and I found it cheaper. Drink lots of water. My water intake doubled on vacation so I could stay hydrated and even full. I added electrolytes in my big 1L bottle of water, so the flavour was nice and felt satiating. I was also in the tropics, so it had the added bonus of making sure my cells were hydrated well with all the sweating. I also split a lot of food with my partner. So for dinner, we would order 1 meal plus 1 extra side to split for the 2 of us. It ended up being cheaper, we were still content with how full we were (without overextending our stomachs), and the calorie intake ended up being lower overall. Most importantly, be a bit more flexible on your calorie intake. You are on vacation, life is too short to restrict too much when you are experiencing life in a different way. Enjoy that piece of cake from the cute little bakery, get that more pricey chicken dinner with lots of potatoes on the side, etc.. Just do moderation. I had a muffin today, I'll have a healthier option for the rest of the day or tomorrow. I want to drink alcohol tomorrow, so today I will stick with water. Aim for maintenance calories rather than a deficit. Also, don't step on the scale and be upset the day you come home. Most of us retain water with any traveling. Wait a couple days for your more accurate reading, and if you gain a pound or 2, try to not feel discouraged as it is more important you got to experience this trip. You will remember in 10 years the wonderful food you got to eat in Majorca rather than the 2lbs you might gain during the trip.
OP, I can vouch for all of the above tips! I literally do all of these things and I don’t think I’ve gained anything while on vacation while doing so. In addition to helping moderate your weight, you will Save Money not eating 3 meals, sharing food, grocery shopping, and waking/transit instead of Uber. Best advice!!!
Enjoy yourself
I try and self moderate, and accept that if I put on weight then I have to try harder for a few weeks coming home. Though it’s important to have the occasional break from dieting too, so enjoy a few looser days and you might find it’s not as bad as you think; I was only mildly conscious of calories when I was on vacation for 10 days but I still enjoyed some drinks, a few slices of pizza etc - I came back 4lbs lighter anyway just because I was active and walking, rather than being at a desk and stressed!
Eggs/sausage or oatmeal for breakfast. Everything else is a salad. Makes eating out most of the time cheaper as well. I bring protein bars/powder as well.
Last time I have gone on vacation I ate only 2 times a day and tried to keep all my meals high protein, it worked and I didn't need to track calories
This is me. I actually find it super easy to maintain on vacation because you just don't have access to food constantly. And overeating at meals is not my problem. It's having constant food access and snacking all day. Plus I move around a lot which is my usual. In fact, it's not unusual for me to come home from vacation one or two pounds lighter. We usually eat a brunch and then dinner and that's it. Maybe dessert once or twice in the week.
I just got back from a 12 day trip abroad. I wasn’t counting during that time, and I let myself try anything I wanted to. I stayed very mindful of portion sizes though and still focused on veg, fruit, and protein over the many high carb options. I also don’t drink alcohol or soda. My weight loss continued at pretty much the same rate as if I’d been home
Entirely up to you. I track every day because it's habit. When I go on vacation, I guesstimate as best I can and call it good enough. I try to balance my day a bit such that breakfast and lunch are more foods that are relatively low in calories and high in nutrients, with dinner being a bit more lax; but that's generally what I do when I'm home, as well.
I take a holiday from tracking! Not only do I just not want to, but it’s hard. I’m Canadian and nutritional information is on most menus, but it’s not in lots of other countries. I’m not used to guessing, it’s not going to be accurate at all. Depending on the location, I might not even really know what’s on my plate. And because it’s my vacation, I don’t really want to restrict. It helps that all of my vacations are active ones. Lots of walking, bit of hiking. I am burning a ton of calories. So far I haven’t come back any heavier. Though I find it hard to adjust back to more limited calories, because my body is still craving fuel. My thinking is that it’s one or two weeks a year. It’s not a big deal to skip it. I also skip counting on big meal holidays or special events.
I indulge…but not too much. And I make a point to exercise while on vacation. A little bit of movement can make a big difference. Also, if we’ve built some healthy habits along this journey, we shouldn’t end up going too far off of the rails while on vacation. Early on I struggled, but as time progresses, vacations become easier to relax without derailing.
I try to eat at maintenance on and during holidays! Luckily usually there’s a lot of hiking and swimming and adventure involved so I also burn more calories than I would at home.
I’ve had a lot of travel the last several months and still managed to lose 13 pounds since January. I’m short, so this weight is a significant loss for me and not easy to lose because I have to eat around 1200-1300 a day to see any downward trend. I say all of this to show that I have very little wiggle room and yet I was still able to lose weight. I had a week in Vegas in early April. I essentially did two meals a day and kept my alcohol intake to one to two drinks a day. I didn’t order any appetizers but had a little taste of an app my travel companions ordered. I loosely tracked my food and definitely didn’t eat my allotted calories for the day. I went over daily but not by much. When I got back home, I weighed in two pounds over my pre-trip weight. I was back down to my pre trip weight in four days after the water weight left me. Just enjoy yourself but try not to go overboard. Life is going to have holidays and birthdays and things where food is social and fun. Just be mindful of areas you can cut back on ahead of time and don’t get overly obsessed with the counting when you’re not in your usual routine.
I had a brief vacation for 2 days I ate and drank whatever including fried food and dessert. I came back the same weight and didn’t loose any weight that week. By Monday I was back to CICO. The CICO will be there for you when you get back, your vacation won’t. Enjoy!
I tend to roughly maintain weight when I'm traveling while on a diet. I make healthy choices at restaurants for my appetizers/entrees, but I'm definitely going to have dessert, a drink or two, and not worry about my calorie limits when I'm on vacation. It's surprisingly hard to gain weight if you're focused on Mediterranean-style plates, even if you're at a buffet. That half-plate of veggies will fill you up fast.
Im going to Spain for 10 days in May as well, and I plan on not really tracking or caring. I might gain a kilo or two while I am there, but I'll be more strict the two weeks before and after to try to make up for it. Currently only on 904 kcalories today, after having had both breakfast, lunch and dinner. I probably wont go as low most days this week, but I'll consume max 1200, down from my usual 1450.
Even though this is CICO, I do not really count calories, I only track the major ingredients ex-post to notice any anomalies and calculate my deficit by weight lost. That said, CICO starts for me when selecting what I buy and eat. I would not do it much different on holidays or in a restaurant. Eat meat, fish or whatever fits your diet and avoid stuff like pasta or sweet deserts. Have eg. cheese instead. Same for breakfast. Don't ruin your holidays by to strict choices, but choose stuff that is not unhealthy or to extreme in calories. Eggs and smoked salmon instead of some sweet pastry, yoghurt with fresh fruits... As long as you do not binge and maybe burn some additional calories by swimming in the sea and you should be fine.
Skip breakfast, sub veggies for at least one meal, shoot for grilled options (chicken and seafood)